Gary Shaw: Dana White's (Far) More Annoying Twin

I don't know...In his standup game, he is probably number one. I don't think on the ground he's in the top 10. As a striker, he's probably number one.

It's fairly funny to me that Shaw does everything that we have complained about Dana doing and makes it 10 times worse. Dana's comments about Fedor not being the best in the world are annoying, but not nearly as bad as this.

The rest of this ridiculous interview with Gary Shaw is worth reading: where he says things like he doesnt want fedor because he hasnt fought anybody in a long time.LINK

grappler0000

6/4/08 7:11:37AM

Yeah, it's pretty funny that he said that...it's even more interesting since before this past weekend, he was saying that Kimbo could hang with any heavyweight in the world.

The referees did a spectacular job the entire night. Gus Johnson's entitled to his opinion and I respect his opinion, but the referee is right in front of the fighter, is looking in the fighter's eyes, and has a much better viewpoint of whether to stop the fight or let it go.

Well, I think that he's the only person that I've heard say that the ref did a spectacular job the entire night. As for the the ref looking into the fighter's eyes...maybe Gary needs to watch the fight one more time (even though he said he watched it several times), because the ref came from behind JT to stop it, so there's no way he could see if his eyes were glassy.

ufcboss

6/4/08 7:19:06AM

I had to post it, I hate links, Even more so when the link is to a link!Funny read though, Kimbo number one! OMG SURE!

The question everyone is asking today is, "Was this good for MMA?" What's your answer?I think it was terrific for MMA. It did ratings, it showed that there are truly MMA fans out there across the United States. It showed that there are people who might be interested and are inquisitive, and the demographic was through the roof. It proved to the sponsors that it pays to sponsor MMA events, and we saw some very good fights.

Have you spoken to people at CBS, and were they pleased with the ratings?Yes. They were pleased with the ratings and thrilled with the demographic ratings.

When will you be back on CBS and what will the main event be?First things first, on June 14 we have a Showtime show in Hawaii. After that I'm waiting on CBS to set the date for the next show and find a place where we want to be in the United States, and then we'll set the card.

Do you have a general idea for the timeframe of the CBS show? A couple of months?I would think any time between August and October. I know we want to do the Robbie Lawler-Scott Smith fight, we want to finish that up once and for all. Certainly, we want to get Gina Carano back in another tough test.

And who do you think Kimbo Slice might fight next?I don't know. We've got to talk. It's only two days after the fight. I'll sit down, and we'll talk to Kimbo and his camp.

Gus Johnson called the stoppage of the Kimbo fight "terrible" and "horrendous." Do you agree?No, I really don't. I watched the match several times. James Thompson's eyes were glassy, his ear was bleeding profusely. I've had a fighter die in the ring in fights I've been associated with, and I care for the health and safety of the fighter. And I'd rather see a stoppage come one punch too soon than one punch too late. The referees did a spectacular job the entire night. Gus Johnson's entitled to his opinion and I respect his opinion, but the referee is right in front of the fighter, is looking in the fighter's eyes, and has a much better viewpoint of whether to stop the fight or let it go.

Do you have an opinion of whether Gus Johnson should continue calling EliteXC fights?Yes, I think he's terrific. He's a consummate professional.

What did you think of Brett Rogers' post-fight comments?Look, he's a fighter. He's entitled to say what he wants. That's what makes America great and that's what makes fighters special individuals.

So can we expect to see Kimbo fight Rogers down the road?Maybe sooner than later. We'll see.

Was the Gina Carano-Kaitlin Young fight stopped prematurely?No, I don't think anything was stopped prematurely. I thought I said it well before: I'd rather a fight be stopped one punch too fast rather than one punch too slow. Remember this: An early stoppage is never detrimental to a fighter's health, but a late stoppage can be career-ending.

In your assessment, how does the quality of the MMA you put on Saturday night compare to the quality of the UFC 84 show a week earlier?Well, I didn't watch the 84 show so I can't comment on it. The only thing I can say is that UFC has some fine fighters and some fine fights, and EliteXC has some fine fighters and some fine fights.

Do you expect to offer a contract to Tito Ortiz?If he wants it he's got it.

Do you have any idea who his opponent might be if he were to sign with EliteXC?No. Tito's a superstar. We'd sit down with Tito and map out a plan for Tito.

The MMA fight everyone wants to see is Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko. Any chance we'll see that in EliteXC?I don't have either fighter, so I doubt it. Randy is in a legal battle with UFC. That fight doesn't personally excite me because Fedor hasn't fought anybody of any quality in quite some time.

Aside from Tito, are there any particular fighters you're hoping to sign for future EliteXC shows?A lot of them. Anybody that is not under contract -- if they're action fighters. I'm not interested in any fighters who want to sit on the mat and have a love fest. A fight for me has got to have action.

And you're satisfied with the level of action that fans got on Saturday night?Oh yeah, very much so.

Where do you think Kimbo fits in among the top heavyweights in MMA?I don't know. He's still in the learning process. He needs to work on his cardio a lot more. In his stand-up game, he is probably number one. I don't think on the ground he's in the top 10. As a striker, he's probably number one.

Is the future of MMA on free TV, on cable TV or on pay-per-view?Free TV, without a doubt. For the best fighters, if they're on free TV for the masses, that's the ultimate.

So you wouldn't do a pay-per-view show? You're set with having all your fights on CBS and Showtime?We're committed to CBS and Showtime, but the right fight I would do on pay-per-view. I just don't believe in sucking the fans' money out from under them to do pay-per-views that don't belong on pay-per-view.

Are you referring to UFC 85 when you say that?I don't know who's on UFC's show.

Were you disappointed with the first hour of the broadcast, how it had only about two minutes of action with two quick knockouts?If you have an electric outage, can you control it? If people want controlled environments, let them watch the WWE.

Leland

6/4/08 7:25:58AM

Where do you think Kimbo fits in among the top heavyweights in MMA? I don't know...In his standup game, he is probably number one. I don't think on the ground he's in the top 10. As a striker, he's probably number one.

HAHAHAHA

CornishMMA

6/4/08 8:13:07AM

Of course he is the #1 striker at HW, i mean look at how quick he KO'd Tank, and he pwned JT didnt he? yeah theres no "probably" about it

bojangalz

6/4/08 8:15:42AM

I clicked on this page because it's in the news section, and therefor part of my daily routine. But I refuse to read past the first line answers from this idiot. I'm not sure that I particularly care for the president/CEO of any major MMA promotion. They all get a little too caught up in their own hype machine and start saying stupid things. Worst of all, i get the feeling that some of those guys actually believe what they are saying.

Gary Shaw = Dana White when it comes to interviews.

Gary Shaw < Dana White when it comes to programming and talent.

The only thing that matters is the content that these promotions put out for the fans. As of today, Elite XC can't sniff the talent level of the UFC. Shaw sounds like no less of a blowhard then Mr. White when you stick him in front of a mic. And I suppose that's part of his job. But at least Dana can fall back on the fact that he puts out a superior fight card time and time again.

No way in hell is Kimbo the #1 standup fighter.If that's true,that puts Gannon at Rickson Gracie status.

thatfedorsohotrightnow

6/4/08 10:06:12AM

I got to spread my promoter hate. Kimbo was perceived to be a good stand up fighter because people thought he had KO power. News flash, Kimbo's power is a myth. The guy has no power, no ground game, and no cardio. He isn't even a top prospect let alone a top ranked HW. Josh Koschek would take him down and GNP him.

imanidiot777

6/4/08 11:04:00AM

Posted by thatfedorsohotrightnow

I got to spread my promoter hate. Kimbo was perceived to be a good stand up fighter because people thought he had KO power. News flash, Kimbo's power is a myth. The guy has no power, no ground game, and no cardio. He isn't even a top prospect let alone a top ranked HW. Josh Koschek would take him down and GNP him.

I guess now we all believe that Dana was right when saying BJ could beat him? Even though Dana says some ridiculous things, he says all the right things when trying to defend MMA to the average people, on ESPN or etc. Gary Shaw needs to pull his head out of his butt, get rid of EliteXC and go back to boxing so it's only good fighter (Lawler) can come to UFC and so Kimbo can come to UFC have two fights and lose both only to be sent away.

Leland

6/4/08 11:05:33AM

Dont get me wrong, hes not doing too bad for the lack of training, but Im sorry no one can be #1 standup fighter after 4 MMA bouts and a year of training. I think in a couple of years he will be alot more impressive. He has the strength and power, just need to work on his striking and ground game.

Man if it was that easy to be #1 we'd have alot of rich kids.

theguido

6/4/08 11:22:49AM

He's just not on the same page as true mma fans. He's out for his dollar and not that that's always bad but in this case it's not in MMa's best intrest

CornishMMA

6/4/08 12:30:05PM

How long has he been training MMA striking?

What are his kicks like? his elbows? any experience in tae kwon do or any other martial arts striking?

Shaw is saying he is #1 cos he throws bombs and knocks out cans in boatyards, thats not mma striking imo, i dont think we need to mention what a guy like Arlovski would do to him right now

Hope Brett gets the fight and KHTFO

thatfedorsohotrightnow

6/4/08 1:16:37PM

Posted by imanidiot777

Posted by thatfedorsohotrightnow

I got to spread my promoter hate. Kimbo was perceived to be a good stand up fighter because people thought he had KO power. News flash, Kimbo's power is a myth. The guy has no power, no ground game, and no cardio. He isn't even a top prospect let alone a top ranked HW. Josh Koschek would take him down and GNP him.

I guess now we all believe that Dana was right when saying BJ could beat him? Even though Dana says some ridiculous things, he says all the right things when trying to defend MMA to the average people, on ESPN or etc. Gary Shaw needs to pull his head out of his butt, get rid of EliteXC and go back to boxing so it's only good fighter (Lawler) can come to UFC and so Kimbo can come to UFC have two fights and lose both only to be sent away.

Yes, BJ would have his way with Kimbo. I said Kos because he was the lightest fighter besides BJ that I thought could take Kimbo. Although on second though Sherk might do some good old fashioned GNP.

And yes Dana rocked that interview on ESPN.

dust

6/5/08 11:51:06AM

Posted by theguido

He's just not on the same page as true mma fans. He's out for his dollar and not that that's always bad but in this case it's not in MMa's best intrest